Location: Palma, Spain
As the sun rose over the glassy sea, it flooded the sky with shades of purple, pink, orange, and yellow. The moon, which had risen only an hour before, remained a shimmering sliver in the quickly fading night sky.
We followed the sun this morning -where it went; we did too. To keep us on course, our helmsman kept the bright ball in check as we headed towards Palma. It was almost blinding as the red sun faded into yellow, then white. However, it kept us in good spirits anyway. Despite our tired eyes, we knew we would be arriving in Palma soon, and every one of us couldn’t wait to arrive.
By noon, we were here. Watch Team One brought us in. They flaked our sails and started rinsing the deck. After lunch, the rest of the crew helped finish rinsing Argo’s salt-encrusted hull and deck before an afternoon of free time. Some of the shipmates continued studying for their Navigation Master Exams, while others spent their time jumping off Argo and into the deep blue of the sea. Since we are still waiting to be checked into Palma, today’s activities were all about catching up and relaxation on Argo. Tomorrow will be our larger “BA” (Boat Appreciation) day, where we will clean up Argo from top to bottom and seriously put her in “ship-shape.”
From our stern, we can see the island clearly. There are beautiful Spanish houses on the seaside, large grey boulders that look like they are good for jumping off, and a beach just down the way that looks like an amazing place to explore. Emma (our resident Spaniard) keeps telling us about the delicious snacks we can buy here and the best places to go in her country. I am excited to see it all and try everything that she’s been telling me about since I met her.
As today comes to a close, it is hard to believe that we have finished our second-to-last passage and that this semester is coming to a close. Like Harper wrote yesterday, everyone seems to be living it up and making the most of every moment spent together. I can see it in the way we all laugh and joke around -the smiles are genuine, and when motivated to work together, the results are amazing.
So here’s to Argo. We’re here, we’re present, and we’re savoring every last drop of sunshine this semester has to offer.
We hope you are all doing well! Thank you always for your support, reading our blog, and catching up with us 🙂